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£3500 will buy you a decent Toyota Aygo 2015/2017 with 50,000/60,000 miles on the clock absolutely bullet proof, cheap to insure and maintain, about the same size as a early Nissan Leaf.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
As I was reading this, I had so many things to say but Glos Guy said it all. I would add however, if you think your recent car choices have posed problems for you, paying £3500 for a Nissan Leaf and saying it’s good news, is just asking for more of the same.
As well as insurance and maintenance, I would imagine the EV will need to be safe and serviced correctly to comply with properties insurance conditions, the original 24 kWh Nissan Leaf when new would achieve 40 – 50 mile range in the winter, with an deteriorating nearer 25/30 in the winter.
There’s some great older cars out there, if you look and not for alot of money. I recently got hold of a immaculate 05 plate Rover 75 V6 with 40k miles, full service history, which would have been a better bet than a leaf.
Totally agree the poster need a reliable comfortable vehicle to accommodate his wife disability, there is plenty out there VW Gold springs to mind.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
As I was reading this, I had so many things to say but Glos Guy said it all. I would add however, if you think your recent car choices have posed problems for you, paying £3500 for a Nissan Leaf and saying it’s good news, is just asking for more of the same.
As well as insurance and maintenance, I would imagine the EV will need to be safe and serviced correctly to comply with properties insurance conditions, the original 24 kWh Nissan Leaf when new would achieve 40 – 50 mile range in the winter, with an deteriorating nearer 25/30 in the winter.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
@Oscarmax the new 2026 Rav4 looks nice.
The new RAV4 PHEV has 2 option a slightly lower powered 2wd, a more powerful 4wd, 20% larger battery and a more advanced electronic.
Still happy with the 306 bhp Suzuki Across amazing EV range nearly 60 miles in the summer and 40 miles in the depth of winter, easily achieving over 50 mpg even in the winter with a depleted battery, I expect the new RAV4 to be more efficient especially the 2wd version.
The only thing which lets it down is the huge £6995 AP, with the new model coming out AP for the RAV4 and Suzuki Across may drop to a resonable level.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Still deciding on what to order next month. This thread has been helpful in what to expect in the sister PHEV (Sportage) that I probably will be ordering. But, reading through Sportage forums, they only mention using HEV and EV modes, seems like they don’t seem to use Auto. Frustrating that the only car that seems to tick all the boxes is the Sportage. But it’s the first time I feel deflated, rather than excited, when choosing my next car. I’m tempted to wait and see what next quarter brings, but I fear that it will still be the Sportage and with it’s current “low” AP of £2,799, I expect it to rise. My preferred choice would be the Volvo V60, but my wife isn’t confident in parking and manoeuvring in small areas. Plus mpg will be very poor on short trips, which is 85% of our journeys.
May I suggest a Toyota CH-R or Prius both PHEV, our neighbour has the CH-R PHEV easy 45 miles plus in EV mode and north of 50 mpg in HEV with the battery depleted.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Wow long post, £3500 for an old Nissan Leaf you are asking for trouble
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
My understanding of business use, if you are expected to travel around as part of your employment, not as a separate business.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Top of our long list of a replacement cars for later in the year is the Nissan Aryia. But I have concerns about whether as a business Nissan will outlast our 3 year lease period, and what would happen to our car if they didn’t. This is not a question that any Motability customer has had to face before. But the impact of the trade tariffs that are in place currently will place many motor manufacturers in a very precarious position, not just Nissan whose recent attempt to merge with Honda failed ultimately. So what happens to a Motability lease if the car is no longer supported after its manufacturer goes under, or is taken over and the new owner no longer pushes software updates to the car, and it stops working eventually? I would hope that Motability would offer to replace the car without penalty. But there is the question of the deposit to consider. Would they: 1. Refund the whole deposit amount, 2. Refund part of the deposit prorate for the amount the the lease period that remains, or 3. Provide no refund at all, and regard the deposit as the customer’s loss There would have been a time when option 2 was most likely. But Motability have not have the best of times either recently, financially speaking. So we can’t rule out option 3. I have just called Motability Operations telephone help line, and the were unable to answer my question, unsurprisingly. I am minded to put my query in writing, which would need to be by post given that they don’t provide email support. But I’m interested in the meantime to hear what others think about the position that Motability would be likely to take? Fingers crossed that this never comes to anything. But we live in less certain times now.. John
A manufacturer going bust HAS happened before to Motability customers! When Rover went bust in the early noughties, Motability customers with Rover vehicles (and I was one of them) simply continued with their leases until the normal lease end, which is legally what customers had signed a contract to do! There were so many Rover models around (as there would be Nissan models) that although sales dealerships eventually closed or changed franchise manufacturers, a lot aftersales/servicing centres remained open for quite a few years. And, rather like when Mitsubishi pulled out of UK/Europe a few years ago, there are still Mitsubushi aftersales centres and certain other manufacturer’s service centres have agreed to service/repair Mitsubishi vehicles. As for parts, there was a huge stockpile across the UK (and Europe) and OEM and pattern manufacturers continue to this day to make parts for certain Rover vehicles. So the short term of 2-3 years post bankruptcy is negligible in parts terms.. To be honest, it is not something to worry about at all, particularly on Motability as you do not own the vehicle, thus the rapid depreciation etc. However, if you do have worries, look at obtaining a vehicle from another manufacturer. However your worries most likely are totally unfounded.
When Mitsubishi left Europe and the UK, MG Motors were appointed caretakers, they were truly appalling, despite recently extending at the time we decided to change lease and look for another vehicle. Mobility were very supportive even offering to re-service and MOT the vehicle at another dealership.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
I find Motability customer services don’t always give the best consistant advice. Given Motability RAC contract only covers the car, I can’t imagine if someone was to break down with a trailer in tow, would RAC leave it at side of road, whils’t recovering the car or charge a small fortune to recover the trailer? Another problem lies with all breakdown companies, prefer where possible to recover you to a local garage for repairs to be carried out. Obviously, this would not be allowed with a Mobility car, leaving little option other than to be towed to a main dealer, that possibly miles from home. In this case would Mobility get you home by taxi, leaving you to recover trailer at own cost, allow a small repair to be carried out at a local garage and refund costs? Does MayDay cover you if you become ill and is it guaranteed recovery home or local repairs where possible in the event of a breakdown?
At present we pay an additional £65.00 for caravan towing recovery, however hidden in the small print the tow vehicle has to breakdown, they will recover both the tow vehicle and caravan, if the caravan breakdown tough luck you are on your own. If you become ill and cannot drive you are own your own.
As we members of the Caravan and Motorhome Club we can have Mayday Rescue which is basically an enhanced Greenflag. Mayday we recover both the vehicle and caravan if I became ill on holiday, Mayday if the caravan breakdown they will recover the caravan and bring it home and take it to a caravan dealer within 75 miles, with the RAC arrival tough luck you are on your own.
I just cannot believe the RAC Mobility does not cover vehicle recovery if you become ill.
Before I go away again I am going to purchase Mayday Premium UK £113.00, I will not renew our RAC Arrival in September.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
After speaking with one of Mobility assistants I was under the impression AA and Green flag are NOT allowed to recover Mobility vehicles, I have just checked their site apparently the advice I was given is misleading, Mobility recommend you take out your own recover insurance when towing trailers.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
I have actually viewed one in the dealers showroom when I was bored the other day, nice little car large and comfortable, nice driving position with all the controls fall to hand, outside it small and compact. I would imagine due to its popularity the AP is going to be quite high.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
I have a Bosch rechargeable air pump and an accurate tyre pressure gauge.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
@Dazzle666 I’m sorry, but you aren’t making much sense. I am often critical about Motability, but that’s about poor vehicle choice and some questionable policies, but from a customer service perspective I have always found them to be extremely helpful if you explain your situation politely and clearly. If your car is off the road for a prolonged period they will provide you with a hire car, unless your usage is very low and taxi fares would work out cheaper. Either way, they aim to keep you mobile. That’s why you pay them £4,000 a year in benefits plus an Advance Payment. I genuinely wonder if you have explained your situation clearly to them, as there is no way that they would be allowing you to continue driving a car that was unable to pass an MOT. They will never knowingly instruct you to carry on driving a car illegally, which is exactly what you are doing. You say that you are stuffed big time if you cannot drive. Well you will be stuffed far more if you are caught driving the car. Police traffic cars have ANPR cameras which flag passing cars with no insurance, tax or MOT. There are also DVLA roadside cameras and vans that do the same and you risk receiving a summons, substantial fine and points on your licence. It will get even worse if you have an accident as you may well find that your insurance is invalid. If you feel that you haven’t got anywhere with Motability, is there a family member or friend who could maybe phone them on your behalf to explain the problem and the fact that you feel that you are being forced to drive the car illegally?
Me too I am confused I have always found Motability very helpful they may not give you the answer you want to hear, but that fine. If you are stopped your licence will be endorsed, this will have a knock on effect with your motorhome insurance.
From your past posts you require hand controls to drive that will cause problems finding a suitable hire vehicle.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
I am with Glos Guy on this one it is you who would be held responsible, if you were involved in an accident and someone was injured your insurance would be invalid, you would also receive points on your driving licence. You could end up being liable for the claim, bye bye motorhome.
You state you without your Motability vehicle for 13 months, did Motability supply a hired vehicle and how did the vehicle manage to pass all its services checks.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
The one in the showroom was one done from the top of the range just over £40,000
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Unfortunately no, but I was just being nosey, for those Motability customers looking for an EV it ticks many of the boxes.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
In 2023 we extended out Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for 24 months, unfortunately Mitsubishi left Europe, MG were given the contract as caretakers, at service and MOT time MG service was absolutely appalling and the manager informed us it Mobility’s contract and nothing to do with us.For we decided to change, strangely the MG dealership shortly closed down.
As regards a full EV in theory and financially it would suit our needs, are we ready not so sure.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
I think we will be ok with the towing range – most of the places we visit are within 120 miles (which should be achievable with 100% charge), and if we go up to 200 miles, it will entail one charge stop each way. We will almost certainly need to unhitch. Further, we only tow 4-5 times per year, for the vast majority of our driving we will receive all the benefits that EVs bring (including home charging). I feel that is worth the extra pain when towing. The only other consideration is the CX-60 – but that will be much more expensive to run, will require double the AP and has reports of a clunky, unsettled hybrid system. with regards to getting a deal – I now need to work up the courage to walk out of (potentially) multiple dealerships of they don’t offer an AP contribution 🙈 thanks all for your replies
Hyundai Ionia 5 has a maximum towing range just over 100 miles in perfect conditions 80/90 miles is more realistic range in warm weather, with an 80% fast charger you are looking at less. A PHEV at the moment is the best option, we tow with a PHEV the only time we refill with petrol is when towing the caravan.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Here’s my thoughts. Tesla is, unfortunately, still relevant as every media reviewer will compare against the relevant model. If they dropped £5k off a price that would make a huge difference to prices for other manufacturers models that did compete. If that happens then the resale value drops further and Motability are currently looking at rather depressing resale values. The media are looking at second hand EVs. I’ve seen more articles about ownership of used EVs and the reliability towards and beyond the 8 year/100,000 mile age. As communication improves around ownership of used EVs then that market will improve. Again, as more people have older EVs and don’t have major issues, then others will see that the old stories of batteries needing expensive replacement just as the warranty runs out aren’t so true. There are some nice cars hitting the market that aren’t yet on scheme and could be if the manufacturer wants the numbers. KIA, for example, have a number of really nice EV models that are genuinely built as EV which makes for the best EV experience. They aren’t offering much on the scheme but if they work out that sticking all EV* models on the scheme will improve their balance and get them either close to or over quotas. For people seeking smaller cars, that seems to be the direction the market is taking over the next year, with a lot of city cars coming in under retail of £20-25k and some even targeting the teens. If space isn’t your requirement, these could see zero APs and less than full benefit on an EV. Citroen are looking at updating their models this year, following Peugeot’s and Vauxhall’s updates there will be their versions of the 2008,3008,5008 released.
Talking about Tesla have you seen the used market insane prices for a 4/5 year old Tesla with 60,000 miles on the clock, if they don’t extend my lease I many seriously consider a used Tesla.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Some time ago I wrote that Motability granted me early termination of my current EV on mechanical grounds and I even placed an order for a new EV. But when I heard Elon Musk is going back to Tesla I cancelled my order. This post is to ask your opinions (PLEASE, refrain from any political comment to ensure this discussion will benefit the members of the forum) on how you see the short term future of the EV market in general and models which are or may come on Motability in June / September this year. Here is why I think (hope?) the prices will decline within a number of months: 1. Chinese EV cars are gaining momentum in the UK, forcing competitors to reduce their prices. 2. Despite the government’s efforts, if you cannot charge at home for circa 7p per kWh, owning EV is more expensive than ICE (public charging points, except Tesla, charge you over 70p) 3. Elon Musk is no stranger to cutting prices – he did it in the past, despite all the complaints from those who placed orders and paid higher price, and I think he may do it again, once back. It is already possible to get brand new Model Y with 2.9% APR or a new / nearly new Model Y with 0% APR. 4. The government recently introduced EV VED charges – less incentive to by EV. 5. The government has also introduced BiK changes – within less than just two years, in 2027, it will reach 5% and in 2029 – 9%. Again – less incentive to by EV. 6. Oil price – despite dollar’s slide since Trump came to power, the Brent is still below $62 mark, signalling to me that the oil price will continue to decline, and prices at the petrol station will follow the suite.
1. As you state yes the Chinese are forcing down the prices a good thing for all of us.
2. Have you not read the posting North West to Cornwall, cheaper than a PHEV, HEV or ICE.
6. Oil price also affect the price of electricity.
As regards Elon Musk and Tesla I cannot see you problem. The market will sort itself out, at the moment there is plenty of desirable EV’s on the used market at bargain prices, fancy a Polestar 2 less then £20,00 with Polestar 2 year warranty.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
The granny charger which came with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV got only slightly warm in the summer nothing of concern, the granny charger supplied with the Suzuki Across is still unused in the boot.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Hi all. I about to get a Citron Belingo XL WAV, I would like to charge my mobility scooter, whilst travelling. Does anyone else do this? And if so, what is your equipment and setup?
We have been charging our shop rider scooter using a 12v to 230v 120w inverter for years.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Not wanting to burst any bubbles but I recon I could do 900 miles for around £90 in the wife’s Skoda Karoq Diesel.
Are you stating your wife’s Skoda car ache over 60mpg on the UK motorways, at 60mpg = £95.25, at 50mpg = £ 114.30
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
You automatically assume charging a EV using public fast charger over 900 miles would be more expensive than a hybrid/PHEV £88 compared to £105, £27 saving until they start charging per mile.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
I’m trying to work this out for my own needs based on 285 miles per full charge (77kWh). 77kW from charging at home @ £? kW (estimate 10p kWh = £7.70) 170 kW Tesla Charging £88.21 + £8.99 = £97.20 247kW in total / 77kW (car capcity) = 3.2 charges for journey 3.2 x 285 miles per charge = 912 miles total £104.90 total cost for journey of 912 miles = 11.5 pence per mile
My figures approximately the same.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
